Commercial buildings typically include large open office areas which are divided into smaller work spaces or workstations by any of a number of panel systems that have been developed therefor. These panel systems typically employ upright space-dividing wall panels which serially connect together through two panel straight or angled connections, or through suitable three or four panel connections, to subdivide the office area into a plurality of smaller workstations of desired size and configuration. Such panels are typically less than floor-to-ceiling height, and cooperate with other furniture components to define an equipped workstation. These components may include worksurfaces, file cabinets, shelf units and the like which mount directly on and are supported by the wall panels, and may also include freestanding furniture components such as tables, chairs and file cabinets.
In the known arrangements of panel systems, the individual panel assemblies have a variety of configurations. For example, in some arrangements, the individual panels are themselves supported directly in load-bearing relationship with a floor by support feet or glides. In other arrangements, serially-adjacent panel assemblies are interconnected through intermediate upright support posts or poles which bear the weight of the panels and in turn are maintained in load-bearing engagement with the floor. The present invention is an improved panel arrangement particularly suited for use in the latter-mentioned post-type arrangement having intermediate upright support posts, but may also be utilized with the former arrangement wherein the panel assemblies are themselves supported directly on the floor.
Since it is often desirable to attach shelves, cabinets and other office-type accessories to the panels, the upright support posts are typically provided with vertically-oriented rows of apertures, which can be used to mount hook-type supporting brackets attached to the shelves or other components. As the support posts are arranged in sidewardly-spaced relation from one another on respective opposite ends of a panel, a component which is to be mounted to a panel must typically have a width dimension which substantially corresponds to the horizontal distance between the support posts to enable engagement of the brackets with the apertures defined in the posts. This construction necessarily places restrictions on the configuration of the workstation, and particularly the mounting locations of the components on the panels.
In the arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,477, an upright wall is formed by stackable panel sections each having upper and lower elongate frame members. The upper and lower frame members each define therein an outwardly opening and longitudinally extending groove. The groove in the upper frame member accommodates an upper end of a bracket associated with a shelf or other office-type accessory. This arrangement permits mounting of components at multiple locations along the wall panel, simply by sliding the bracket and the associated accessory longitudinally along the wall panel to the desired location. The mounting of components in this manner is thus not dependent upon the location of the adjacent pairs of support posts, and thus allows greater freedom in arranging a workstation.
The above arrangement, however, includes prefabricated, factory-assembled, one-piece panel sections or modules with the upper and lower groove-defining frame members provided integrally therewith. This construction, for example in comparison with a panel assembly having an open frame construction on which cover panels are attached, is limited in terms of flexibility in arranging a workstation and also in terms of load-bearing capability. In addition, the solid modular panel sections are incapable of interiorly accommodating electrical components and cabling for providing power and/or communication capabilities to the workstation.
The present invention relates to a post-type space-dividing wall panel system having a plurality of base panels which are serially connected to one another to define an upright wall. Each pair of adjacent base panels are connected to one another by an upright support post positioned in load-bearing relationship with the floor. To adjust the height of the wall panel, an appropriate number of horizontal cross rails or frame members are connected between a spaced-apart pair of support posts above the respective base panel. Thus, the pair of adjacent support posts, the cross member and the upper edge of the base panel together define an open interior which can be used to accommodate power distribution assemblies and cabling. Further, mounting members are provided for mounting cover pads or panels in overlying engagement with the outside faces of the base panel and the open areas above each base panel so as to define an upright, space-dividing wall panel.
As discussed above, office-type accessories or components, such as cabinets, shelves and the like are often mounted to a respective wall panel with hook-type brackets which engage in the apertures defined in adjacent pairs of support posts. However, it is often desirable or necessary to mount such components at locations which do not coincide with the support posts, or to mount components which do not have a width which corresponds to the distance defined between an adjacent pair of support posts. As such, the present invention includes a top cap member which defines the uppermost extent of a respective panel assembly and which is configured to mount components thereon. More specifically, the top cap member according to the invention includes an upwardly-opening groove therein which accommodates an upper hook-shaped end of a hanger or bracket fixed to an office-type accessory. The groove extends along the entire length of the wall panel, and the grooves of serially-adjacent top cap members of serially adjacent and aligned wall panels together form a continuous groove which extends longitudinally along essentially the entire length of an aligned panel run. This arrangement permits continuous, uninterrupted sliding or adjustment of furniture components along the entire length of the aligned channels.
The top cap member according to the invention is of a rigid construction, and is supported on and clamped to the uppermost cross rail of a panel assembly. Further, the accessory-mounting brackets cooperate with the top cap member, and are also engaged with a lower frame component. This arrangement provides significant load-bearing capabilities, so as to permit mounting of shelving and the like. In addition, the top cap member can be utilized to mount a support post in a position intermediate the opposite vertical side edges of a respective panel assembly. A wall panel or return wall can then be mounted to the intermediate support post so as to create a T-shaped panel configuration, for example, which provides greater flexibility in configuring a workstation.
Other objects and purposes of the invention, and variations thereof, will be apparent upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.